Damn Larry where the hell have you been? I take it you've been at the shop in Canton..

I would have a beer on you ..But you keep sending em down here via Pony express, by then there all hot a shook-up.... LOL

How the Dragon Wagon coming along? See the new Forged FE stoker cranks for $800 ??

And Carl..I would want to get that Proto type block too close to my Fireplace!! LOL

RJ

 

Ya, heard about them. Too bad mines ready for assembly already. Start cleaning parts early next Sat morning, get crank set in, then rods/pistons. Probably ready to come home in couple weeks? Got new alum. fly wheel, so will be ready to bolt it all together....should be ready to run by end of March.

I was in Charlotte last week, should have made a side trip and dropped the beer off personally LOL!! I'll have the pilot open the door and I"ll drop them out next time through.

 

Well hell Brotha! That would have been cool.... Then you could have seen me tearing the snot out of My cousins 440 Moparts!!!! I would have even bout you a 12ver of Near beer!! LOL..

RJ

 

Hmm... I've always been thinking about getting another TR7 (a car from my youth) and transplant a Ford in there, ala-Sunbeam.

I've been thinking small-block, but now with an aluminum block like that, hmm...

And, I do know an FE will fit - I measured it against my highboy's 360 with 4x4 pan, 20 years ago. No sweat. Tranny tunnel is kinda small..

And weight wise, the aluminum Buick 215 (TR8) was lighter than the OHC aluminum-head four-banger it originally came with. The block on the four-banger was much heavier than a 289 block ... I know - I picked them both up...

So with a cast crank, maybe aluminum rods, heads, and block, what's the weight estimate of a fully dressed motor?

 

Drop in an all aluminum 4.6, get ya 240 hp / 300 tq or take it to 5.2 for 385 hp and 360 tq, that should move it with MPI.
Check out www.V8engines.com Chris Crane is one great person.

 

Artas far as the weight goes I dont remember off hand? But if I ever run across the pics of my 59 Austin Healey, I'll shoot you some pics of it with the 302 in it and a C4..Narrowed 9"....

The only problem I had with it was stopping it ..as the front brake shoe's sat horizontal...and with the added weight of the V8...But after a disc brake conversion..It stopped on a dime... It ran like a scalded Dog Bud!!

RJ

 

Got a fellow in local Ford club that built a TR7 for his son. 302/c4, kids first car so they left it pretty stock(read that:slow). Been a couple years now and they are starting to pep it up some. Talk of "mini" tubbing it. It looks pretty stock right now except for the exhaust stickin out in front of the rear wheels, little tires and hubcaps LOL!

Near beer? Huh......come on there Russ........I'm not THAT much of a lightweight LOL!!

 

Only problem is the heads with the OHC - might not be enough room. I like the modulars too, but a 4.6 is a little small (cubic-inch wise) for what I want to do.

I've checked with small-blocks, I can buy a crate motor w/carb that puts out much more than that 4.6 ever would, especially nearing 400 cubes with a 351W deck-height. I'd still go MPI though, I'd rather tune with a computer than with a Holley carb

Not a lot of engine length possible in the engine compartment, but MAN is it wide... maybe a 5.4, but a 4.6? Nah, smaller than the 289 I had originally planned for 18 years ago - had a 302, rear-sump pan, and AOD hanging in it, and had so much room it was amazing.

FE is how much longer than a small-block?

Hmm...

One side note about TR7's, and power plants. British Leyland or Triumph, or whomever really designed it, it was their first unibody. So, they built it like a brick **** house. Very sturdy. Eventually, like any british sportscar, people want a convertible (drophead). So, they cut the roof off of one and checked out how strong it was. No problem! Then, they put the Rover 3500 V8 (buick 215) in it, with more power, and still no problem!

You can jack up one corner of the car 2 feet in the air, and still open and close the doors - can't say that about a '65 Mustang...

Oh well...

 

I was thinking everyone would of caught on with my reply on the 4.6 as I have a 95 Landrover Discovery with a 4.6 vs the original 3.9.
A very small and light pushrod motor used by many different manufactures around the world, common like a 350 chebbie motor. Just don't get 'em hot.
With head and intake port matching, a better bump stick, Borla exhaust and RPI performance chip it wakes up while able to pass Cali smog.
Torque at 2,600 rpm's not bad for a 4.6 w/3.22" stroke that will turn to 6,100 (rev limiter).
I installed a 215 years ago in HS in a 62 Volvo P1800 coupe,(rods departed), lighter than the 1800 four with just enough to have fun and not break things.

 

Oh, sorry Carl, the 4.6, as in the 3.9, as in the 3.5 (Rover 3500), as in the Buick 215...

 

I'm not trying to attack moderators.
I know the first thing people think abot 4.6
is Ford's motor.
Spend some time on the RPI address I posted above,
that motor was vastly improved from when GM built it.
Ba surprised the power/torque they will develope and
at a light weight. I've seen 'em in Porsche's as a mid
engine installation.

 

Attack all you want, no problems here

Carl, I was agreeing with you And yes, I do know the "Rover" motor has vastly improved over time...

 

LOL...Art I think your like me? I'am to old and layed back to get rattled!! That was Like the other weekend at My cousin's Daytona race party..

One of the younger guys there had a few shots of Franklin County Spring water too much.....and started thinking he was KING KONG!!

Got in My face after making some trouble with some of the ladies there...I asked him as I sat in my favorite easy chair there...If he felt like Superman!! Of course his reply was yes what are you gonna do!! I just laughed (still sitting) Pulled my HK9 out of my shoulder holster..and asked him if he wanted to practice catching bullets with his teeth? He sobered up REAL quick!! And I made him say his was sorry for being such an ***!! Oh the Joys in Life!! LOL..

RJ

 

I think that's awesome that guy's making his own block. the fact that the block doesn't extend past crank c/L, really doesn't matter, because his main cap setup is one piece, and I'm sure, if he was thinking ahead, you would be able to use a stock oil pan and pickup, because the height of that one piece main cap thing is probly the same end height that the pan would bolt to on our original blocks.

I bet it will def. take some fine tuning, but I'm all for the idea!

I have been thinking about how I would go about machinging my own blocks and cylinder heads out of billit chunks for the past year or so off, and on, and just as he was mentioning, that only thing I couoldn't figure out was the coolant passages!

 

Dam, now thats just cool.